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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27910468">Memories in Orbit</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonmiryo/pseuds/dragonmiryo'>dragonmiryo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band), NCT (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), Stray Kids (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Space, Explicit Language, Non-Graphic Violence, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:47:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27910468</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonmiryo/pseuds/dragonmiryo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Brothers Taeyong, Jaehyun, Mark, Jaemin, and Jisung wake up on the back of a hovercraft in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how they got there... or the last week, for that matter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>First fic I'm posting here please be gentle with me hehe.<br/>Everyone in NCT/WayV will make an appearance, as well as some guest appearances from other groups.<br/>Also, pay no mind to typos, for I am stupid and don't edit.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the rumbling that woke him up.</p><p>        All had been silent in his dreams, darkness washing over him peacefully with no resistance on his part. The tranquility of the warm, dry air ruffling his hair combined with the gentle breathing of the boys around him had lulled him into a sense of security, which was much needed after the toll the stress took on his body.</p><p>        But of course, all dreams must come to an end, which was exactly what the rumbling did.</p><p>        Jaehyun rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he took a look at his surroundings. It was a dry, almost deserted place, the path being worn as the hovercraft drifted by at a medium pace – slow enough to enjoy the view, but fast enough to get to whatever destination it was aiming for at a reasonable time.</p><p>        And what a view it was. Nothing special, but for Jaehyun, he rarely got to see a view like this. Since he lived in a space station, he didn’t get to go out and actually<em> explore </em>planets very much, and stars get old when you see them every single day. The dusty, almost red sand that sprayed as they went by, the beautiful pale blue sky, the moon that shone closely behind the hills… it was a sight to see.</p><p>        The only issue was Jaehyun had no idea where he was.</p><p>        Wearily pushing himself up, he turned to look back at the boys behind him. There was Taeyong, curled up next to Mark. Behind him was Jaemin cuddling Jisung. No one else seemed awake yet.</p><p>        Jaehyun breathed a sigh of relief. They seemed comfortable, safe, unharmed.</p><p>        Taeyong flopped over, revealing a blood-stained t-shirt.</p><p>        Okay, so maybe they weren’t unharmed. But was that <em>his </em>blood, or someone <em>else’s </em>blood? Jaehyun wasn’t quite sure.</p><p>        “Oi, bro, get up,” he said, gently shaking his older brother. Taeyong, although clearly reluctantly, did manage to blink open his eyes and move himself away from Mark without waking said younger boy.</p><p>        “Yoonoh?” he mumbled. He was clearly still out of it; Taeyong only called him “Yoonoh” when they were at home, when no one was around. It was safer that way. “Where the hell are we?”</p><p>        “Hell if I know,” Jaehyun chuckled. He gestured to Taeyong’s shirt. “Fuck happen to you?”<br/>        Taeyong only seemed to just notice the bloodstains that splattered his chest. His eyes widened, and he tossed off his jacket (which landed on Jaemin instead of flying off in the wind, thankfully) and took of his shirt. Sure enough, covering his chest and shoulders were large gashes and cuts, but none opened. Rather, they looked scarred, as if they had been there for a while and had time to heal.</p><p>        “Inkor’s pistol,” Taeyong cursed. “I don’t remember getting any of these.”</p><p>        Jaehyun blinked. “<em>None?</em>” he exclaimed. “Surely you remember <em>something</em>, like a fight, or a simulation gone wrong. I’ll even be okay if you tell me you were hiding them from me, honest!”</p><p>        Taeyong shook his head. “Swear on my life, I’ve never seen these before,” he answered honestly. “I wouldn’t hide these things from you, Yoonoh.”</p><p>        In the back, Jaehyun saw Jaemin start to stir. He launched up, earrings dangling as he looked around in panic. Relief washed over his face when he saw the other four.</p><p>        “Thank Talmok,” he breathed. “What the hell is this place? How did we get here? Taeyong where did you get those injuries?”<br/>        “Dunno, dunno, and dunno,” Taeyong answered. “Should we wake up the other kids?”</p><p>        Jaemin didn’t wait for an answer before he went shaking Mark and Jisung awake.</p><p>        “OI PUNKS!” he shouted at them. “IF THIS IS A JOKE IT AIN’T FUCKIN’ FUNNY!”</p><p>        The two woke with a yell, Mark pushing Jaemin back down onto Jisung, who retaliated by pushing Jaemin into Taeyong.</p><p>        “You little shits–“</p><p>        “Guys, that’s enough,” Taeyong announced. Everyone turned to look at him. “We’re on a hovercraft in a planet none of us seem to recognize, we have better things to do than to fight or shift blame.”</p><p>        Everyone nodded reluctantly, Jaemin shuffling in his seat while pulling Jisung closer to him.</p><p>        “So who’s the guy driving anyway?” Jisung asked, pointing.</p><p>        Taeyong and Jaehyun moved to get a closer look at the glass where a man with particularly long and pointy ears was driving. He seemed to be singing.</p><p>        “No idea,” Jaemin concluded, “but sitting on our asses here won’t help us figure out what’s going on – OI ELF BOY, WHAT’S GOOD?”</p><p>        The man driving swerved off the road in panic, nearly throwing the other five boys off the hovercraft, and came to a halt. Jaehyun threw a glare at Jaemin as the man stepped out of the hovercraft and marched towards the brothers.</p><p>        “So <em>now </em>you boys decide to wake up?” he demanded. “You’ve been passed out back there for <em>hours </em>and <em>nothing </em>I did could wake you up. You know I could have gotten <em>arrested </em>for driving with you lot behind me, right?”</p><p>        “They couldn’t have arrested us,” Taeyong spoke.</p><p>        “Oh?” the man stifled a laugh. “And how so?”</p><p>        Taeyong pulled out a thin white card from his coat pocket and faced towards the man. With three taps to the front, a holographic image and description of Taeyong showed up.</p><p>        “My name is Taeyong Lee of Star Matter Enforcement, Unit #127,” he announced. “These four are my brothers and members of the same unit. We are assigned to the <em>Neo Zone</em>, and must make our way back their immediately. Now, may I know your name and why we were in the back of your hovercraft before I call for assistance? And trust me; you’re negotiating with the kindest members of this unit. It won’t be very pleasant if the others show up.”</p><p>        “Bold of you to claim Jaemin’s one of the kindest members,” Jisung mumbled, but Jaemin ignored him.</p><p>        The man sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Whatever, man.” He took his ID out of his pocket. “Chanyeol Park. Dunno what your kind are doing here anyway – no one in SME ever comes down, or anyone for that matter – and all I know is that you boys came and crashed in <em>my </em>hovercraft last night, saying something like, ‘the danger won’t follow us here, it’s safe!’”</p><p>        “Where exactly <em>are </em>we, if it’s that safe?” Jaehyun question at the same time as Mark groaned, “This is fucking <em>Iviir</em>, isn’t it?”</p><p>        Jisung turned to Mark, his eyes showing his confusion. “Iviir? What’s that?”</p><p>        “Bingo,” Chanyeol confirmed. “Big ol’ planet of sand and nothing.”</p><p>        “Yeah, and also the <em>safest planet on the galaxy</em>,” Mark stressed. “Nothing <em>ever </em>happens here; the last issue with this damn place were the wyrms, and they’re all dead now from <em>dehydration</em>.”</p><p>        “How do <em>you </em>know about this place?” Jisung questioned. “Just a short description and you recognized this place. Why?”</p><p>        “I did my research on all the planets in the galaxy,” Mark explained. He did some digging in his coat pocket and found a thin tablet just larger than the one Taeyong pulled out. With a flick of his wrist, it pulled up a list of planets with writing too small for anyone to read. There had to have been hundreds on that list alone. “Every single planet with all the information about it; however, each description you see here, once zoomed in, shows the most important parts.”</p><p>        He swiped to the next few pages and pressed on one of the planets, and sure enough, it was Iviir.</p><p>        “Iviir is pretty far away from SME,” Mark continued. “Pretty far from most planets, actually. Like Chanyeol said, it’s a bunch of sand and nothing. A dust bowl. The population isn’t particularly large compared to some of the other planets – barely two billion, maybe even less – and they have no military force. No army, no enforcement, no fighters, no nothing. They’re about the least threatening planet in the galaxy, making them the safest. There are only two types of people who live here. The first type are the natives, who were born here.”</p><p>        Jaehyun nervously stepped backwards, getting the feeling he knew what was coming. “And the second type?”</p><p>        “The ones who are trying to run from danger,” Chanyeol finished, confirming Jaehyun’s fears. “You’d be surprised how many people I know who got on the wrong side of one of the enforcements and came here to hide. They continue to live perfect lives here. Some of the worst criminals make their way here to start over.”</p><p>        Taeyong stumbled back against the hovercraft. “So, you mean...”</p><p>        Mark nodded. “If we’re here, it means something is seriously wrong.”</p><p>        “Just out of curiosity,” Jaemin said nervously, “what… what day is it?”<br/>        Chanyeol shrugged and brought out his cell. “June 7<sup>th</sup>,” he answered. “Why?”</p><p>        Jaemin paled. “No way,” he breathed. He turned to the others. “I barely remember what happened yesterday, but I <em>know </em>it was May 30<sup>th</sup>. That’s about <em>eight days </em>from today.”</p><p>        “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding,” Jisung protested. “Eight days don’t just disappear, right? Were we out that long?”</p><p>        “Like I said, you guys got here last night,” Chanyeol reminded them. “You don’t remember that?”</p><p>        Jaehyun shook his head. “I remember waking up yesterday,” he tried to recall. “What was it… Yuta mentioned something about the boss wanting to see us.”</p><p>        “Donghyuck dragged me out of bed, I remember,” Mark mumbled. “But other than that, everything is a blur.” His face scrunched up. “Why did the boss want us?”</p><p>        “Can’t say.” Taeyong shook his head. “Everything’s a blur.” He reached down to his hip and felt around, and Jaehyun watched his eyes widen. “My whip’s gone.”</p><p>        “<em>What?” </em>Jaemin exclaimed. He felt hips as well, only to discover the same thing. “My guns? What the <em>fuck? </em>Why the <em>fuck </em>would I leave my guns anywhere but on me?”</p><p>        Chanyeol pointed to his hovercraft. “You guys had your weapons when I first saw you, so how bout I take y’all to the marketplace,” he suggested. “They might’ve been stolen, and where else would you sell stolen weapons?”</p><p>        “The black market?” Mark suggested.</p><p>        “Thank you very much for your offer,” Taeyong accepted. “We’re in your debt.”</p><p>        “Yeah, whatever,” Chanyeol sighed. “Just get in.</p><p> </p><p>        It didn’t even take an hour before Chanyeol dropped them off and he was on his way. They agreed that splitting up would be most efficient, regardless of them being weaponless, and decided to meet in the middle once they were done.</p><p>        Taeyong was talking politely with the older women, asking them questions about anything strange they had seen, but he had no such luck. Being kind was truly the best way to interrogate, he believed. If you make people comfortable, they’ll talk.</p><p>        Jaemin wasn’t think kind of person, unfortunately for everyone else in the marketplace. He had his eyes peeled for his guns, and wasn’t gonna bother asking. And since he was actively searching, he found them pretty quickly. His eyes narrowed in on them and the man who had them.</p><p>        <em>100,000 credits</em>, he thought, chuckling out loud. <em>They’re worth </em>way <em>more than that, idiot.</em></p><p>        Without hesitating, he marched over to the guy at the table and slammed his open palm on the surface.</p><p>        “Name,” he snarled. “And where you got the guns.”</p><p>        The man must have seen the fire in his eyes, for he answered very quickly, “Junho Lee, and from an anonymous source. But they’re reliable, and the guns work really well; believe me, they’ve been tested–“</p><p>        “You bet your ass they work well,” Jaemin growled. “They’re<em> mine</em>, and they were stolen from me. And you’re gonna hand them over to me or we’re gonna have some serious issues.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” Junho sneered. “And why should I?”</p><p>Jaemin flourished his ID, his profile coming into view in a matter of seconds.</p><p>“My name is Jaemin Lee, member of Star Matter Enforcement’s Unit #127, and those are <em>my </em>gun’s you are selling,” he snapped. “Look a little more closely and you can see I have a license for them. So, what I’m trying to say is...” He leaned in closer. “If don’t hand me the guns <em>now</em>, I <em>will </em>take them by force.”</p><p>        Junho, although clearly nervous, didn’t seem as though he appreciated being threatened by someone as young as Jaemin. He stood up, shoving the guns aside.</p><p>        “If you really want them, then fight or pay the price,” he said decidedly. “And trust me, I know how to throw a pu–“</p><p>        He never finished, Jaemin immediately accepting his offer to fight and punching him straight on the nose. Jaemin only expected him to fall over, but he was sorely mistaken; Junho <em>flew </em>backwards into the wall, slamming against it with such force he coughed out blood.</p><p>        Jaemin paused to look at his fist. <em>I know I pack a mean punch, but this is ridiculous</em>, he thought. <em>Since when did I send people flying?</em></p><p>        He decided not to dwell on it, instead taking the guns and running as fast as possible.</p><p> </p><p>        “Jaemin!” Jisung exclaimed. “You found your weapon too?” He frowned, holding his staff close to his chest. “Why are you running so fast?”</p><p>        “Might’ve pissed some guy off,” he huffed, slowing down to match Jisung’s pace. He gestured to the staff. “How’d you get yours? And don’t say some bullshit like ‘I asked nicely’ because I won’t believe you.”<br/>        “Gambled him with some credits I found lying around,” he answered instead, a sly grin forming on his face. “He was stupid enough throw in the staff, can you believe it? But he <em>might</em> be chasing after me, so let’s hurry and find the others.”</p><p>        Jaemin grinned in return. “Let’s.”</p><p>        They found themselves in the middle soon enough, where Mark was waiting for them with his pulse rifle in hand and ready for fire. Jaehyun and Taeyong were nowhere to be seen, but there were people running and screaming everywhere.</p><p>        “Oh good, you guys are here,” Mark said nonchalantly. “We might have a problem.”</p><p>        “Yeah, noticed,” Jaemin snorted. “Mark, I know me and Jisung are troublemakers, but you’re usually pretty good at staying on people’s <em>good </em>side.”</p><p>        Mark shrugged. “I couldn’t convince them to give me the gun in under five minutes, so I fought them,” he explained. “In other news, I have some <em>powerful </em>kicks. I sent them flying further than I thought I could.”</p><p>        “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about my punches,” Jaemin said. Jisung looked like he was about to speak when a man pushed him to the ground with a loud<em> THUMP</em>.</p><p>Both Jaemin and Mark pointed their guns at the man, but before anyone could react, Jisung launched himself back up and used his spear to knock the man back into a crowd of people once more. The yelling became more concentrated as everyone turned to stare at the trio in the middle. They found each other’s back quickly and stared at everyone, who was slowly edging closer, pulling their weapons out.</p><p>        “I thought you said this was the safest planet in the galaxy,” Jisung whispered harshly.</p><p>        “Yeah, to escape from the rest of the galaxy,” Mark whispered back. “That means there are some <em>dangerous </em>criminals here that you don’t wanna get on the bad side of. Most people don’t.”</p><p>        “But we aren’t most people, are we?” Jaemin laughed. His eyes had a fire in them, and he charged up his pistols. “Let’s fucking do this.”</p><p>        Jaemin flourished his guns, changing the bullets to a less-deadly synergy bullet. They would cause damage, but nothing that a pair of fists couldn’t do. With a roll, he made his way to Junho and shot rapidly at his chest. Junho screamed and fell over with a thud. With a flourish to reload, Jaemin switched his target to the person following Junho. Within seconds, Jaemin had a pile of bodies surrounding him, all barely conscious but muttering enough curses for Jaemin to be assured they would live.</p><p>        Jisung, on the other hand, was knocking people left and right with his spear, avoiding using the sharp tip so he couldn’t permanently damage anyone. He tripped several people with one swoop, then swiveled to behind him to face a burly guy running towards him. Using his spear as a crutch, he lifted both legs and kicked the man away. He was sent at least twenty feet away, much to the surprise of the youngest brother, but he didn’t pay much mind, whacking someone behind him who had attempted to sneak up on Jisung.</p><p>        Mark smirked watching it unfold.<em> No one sneaks up on Jisung, </em>he thought proudly. Not even looking, he shot a massive energy blast behind him. He heard several yells and curses as everyone was knocked away and a large path cleared. Mark’s eyes widened as he saw Taeyong and Jaehyun run through the path to the boys.</p><p>        “You three really can’t help but get into trouble,” he scolded, shoving people left and right.</p><p>        “You’re fighting too,” Jaemin objected. He never took his eyes off his targets, holding eye contact with them and flashing his sweetest and most dangerous smile. Jaehyun simply rolled his eyes.</p><p>        “You guys started this mess, we’re just fixing it,” he pointed out. “Now hurry up, we got some info.”</p><p>        The boys slowly made their way to Jaehyun. “What kind of information?” Jisung asked.</p><p>        “The best I can get for now,” he sighed. Jaehyun’s eyes suddenly widened and he ducked, just narrowly dodging a jar that had aimed for his head. “I’ll, uh, tell you on the way. But in the meantime, I found our ship, so let’s get the hell out of here.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, run this by me again,” Taeyong said.</p><p>        “Alright,” Jaehyun said. He cracked his fingers and began from the top.</p><p>        “According to this ship, in the past eight days, we have traveled to about five planets,” he started. “From the looks of it, we never stayed very long. There were about two days of our blanking out that we stayed in SME, so I’m not counting that. I think our best bet to finding out what happened to us is to retrace our steps exactly how they happened.”</p><p>        “Meaning…?”</p><p>        “Meaning,” Jaehyun grinned apologetically at Mark, “our first stop is Jaalmonok.”</p><p>        Mark groaned while Jaemin and Jisung laughed.</p><p>        “Isn’t that the planet you had to write that paper on a couple years back?” Taeyong asked. He narrowed his eyes. “Why is this such a misfortune for you?”</p><p>        “Jaalmonok is just Iviir with more culture,” Mark explained. “And a great view of the neighboring planets, but that’s beside the point. In case you’ve forgotten, they <em>also </em>worship a <em>lot </em>of gods, and none of them are Talmok.”</p><p>        Jisung winced. “Ah, I see your problem now,” he said softly.</p><p>        “I mean freedom of religion and all, but...” Mark sighed. “It’s just… they have these three statues of these gods that all are holding a sword, and sometimes they just… wander off. When they eventually return, they have blood stained all over them. No one knows where it comes from, but people tend to disappear around that time as well. No explanations.”</p><p>        Taeyong swallowed nervously. He suddenly understood why Mark didn’t like writing his paper on this planet. But still…</p><p>        “Mark,” he started. “According to our ship, we landed there for at least a day. You know the most about planets; why would we ever land here since you hate it so much?”</p><p>        Mark shrugged helplessly. “Iviir is pretty far away from most planets, but it’s the closest to Jaalmonok.” He took a look out the window, where the stars were but streaks of light, rushing past them. Jaehyun was behind the wheel, so to say, making sure they got to their destination safely. “Maybe we needed to stop for resources or something. You know, before staying in Iviir.”</p><p>        “And that’s what <em>I’m </em>not getting,” Jaemin huffed. “We’re from Star Matter Enforcement. We’re trained soldiers and protectors of the damn place. We deal with threats all the time. We’re literally part of<em> Unit #127</em>, the one that deals with some of the worst threats. What the <em>fuck </em>happened that caused <em>us</em> of all people to run away where no one would find us?”</p><p>        Silence echoed in the ship, the only sound being Jaehyun trying to fix the broken communicator. Mark scratched the back of his head, face scrunched in concentration.</p><p>        “It must have been something personal,” he decided finally. “Not just an attack aimed for the school, or for a planet; an attack where <em>we </em>were the victims.”</p><p>        “You don’t think someone found out our true names, do you?” Jisung asked quietly.</p><p>        “No way,” Jaemin said defiantly. “There’s no way anyone could find out unless we told them directly. We burned everything, remember? And Jisung hacked everything so there’s no way our real names are out there, and anyone who knew is dead.”<br/>        “Yeah, but–“</p><p>        “No, Jaemin is right.” Everyone turned to Jaehyun, who was now checking his semi-fixed communicator. “The danger seems to be a bit different than that.”</p><p>        “Oh, did you fix it?” Taeyong asked. He moved towards Jaehyun, then frowned when he got a closer look at the screen.</p><p>        “Notice something strange?” Jaehyun smirked.</p><p>        “There are contacts missing,” Taeyong breathed. “More specifically, the teachers, the trainers… even some individual contacts are missing; Jonghyun, Heechul, Sunny, Boa, Taeyeon…” Taeyong froze. “Hold on...”</p><p>        “What is it?” Mark leaped forward. Taeyong turned to him, confusing splattered all over his face. When Mark realized, he gasped.</p><p>        “Okay, I get it, you’re being all suspicious and mysterious for the drama, but <em>please </em>for the love of Talmok tell me what’s going on,” Jaemin snapped.</p><p>        “<em>Special Unit:</em> <em>SuperM.”</em></p><p>Jaemin blinked. “That unit you and Taeyong are a part of?” he questioned. “For meetings and whatnot. What about it?”</p><p>        “The contacts for them are gone,” Taeyong said. “Baekhyun, Taemin, Kai, Lucas, Ten...” He choked at the end. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Their contacts are permanent; you can’t just get rid of them. Unless...”</p><p>        “...unless the contact itself is gone,” Jaehyun finished. “They wouldn’t just erase the contact for no good reason. The only way the contact could be erased is if the other members were...”</p><p>        No one dared speak. Taeyong was shaking, going through the contacts again and again. He didn’t dare press any of them, afraid of what he might find if he did.</p><p>        “No,” he breathed. “No, it isn’t possible. I refuse to believe it.”</p><p>        “Taeyong, I know you care about them a lot, but you have to understand–“</p><p>        “No, Yoonoh,<em> you</em> don’t understand!”  Taeyong was yelling now. “They don’t just <em>die</em>. <em>Ten </em>doesn’t just <em>die</em>. That bastard is one of the most stubborn people I know; he could be bleeding in a ditch somewhere on a lone planet, but he’d still find a way to make it out, <em>alive. </em>I can't believe that any of them could die. Besides...” He swallowed. “There’s another explanation, but it isn’t much better.”</p><p>        “How could anything be worse than dying?” Jaemin objected.</p><p>        “Not worse,” Taeyong corrected. “Just… not better.” He took a deep breath. “SuperM is the unit created for communications with other terrestrials and enforcements. We oversee delivering the news to people, as well as settling trades and truces. We are SME’s most important and most diplomatic unit.”</p><p>        “So, the only reason for SuperM to not be a thing,” Mark continued, realizing, “would be if SME was no longer a thing.”</p><p>        Silence settled in the ship, soon interrupted by a rapid beeping. Jaehyun got in control of the ship once more, Jaemin joining him in the front.</p><p>        “We’re entering Jaalmonok atmosphere,” Jaemin announced, throwing a look back at Mark. “Y’all better get buckled up, it might be a bit of a rough landing.” At that, the ship instantly rumbling, causing Taeyong and Mark to lose balance and cling desperately to Jisung.</p><p>        “So why will this be a rough landing?” Taeyong asked. Jaehyun only smiled wryly and pointed to one of the side windows. Taeyong took a look and, eyes widening in shock, saw a ship with the words<strong><em> BASTARZ</em></strong> plastered on the side flying along with them. Oh yeah, and they were shooting at them.</p><p>        “Ah.” Taeyong gulped. “Well, make the landing fast; we don’t want trouble.” Jaemin only laughed.</p><p>        “Dear big brother, you should know me better than that,” he said with a smirk, lurching the ship towards them and gaining control of the guns. Soon he was shooting at top speed, making dents all along the ship. When it tried to retaliate, Jaehyun yanked the controls to make a spiral downwards. Jaemin had already gotten started on firing the rear guns. Everyone simply clung for dear life onto their now taken seats in brace for the sure crash landing that would occur.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was certainly a rough landing. Jisung knew the moment they crashed onto the surface they would need to go scouring for supplies. They were lucky to be buckled in or else they could have suffered serious damage.</p><p>        Jisung sighed to himself. He knew basic ship stuff that would allow him to figure out what needed to be repaired, but he knew that his <em>beloved</em> brothers would rely on him to get the resources because he knew how to haggle. Unfortunately, because Jaemin was so insistent on shooting at the ship that attacked, this would make haggling more difficult; Jisung wasn’t sure why they went on the immediate offense, but word was sure to spread around quick, and if they had already visited Jaalmonok, people were sure to recognize them.</p><p>        “Jisung,” Taeyong started, but Jisung cut him off.</p><p>        “I know, I know,” he said absentmindedly as he grabbed his spear. “I’ll go out and get parts.”</p><p>        Taeyong nodded. “I will be joining you. The landing was bad, but I’m sure the parts we need to replace won’t be too bad.”</p><p>        Poor Taeyong was wrong.</p><p>        Jisung watched him sweat over the tiny missing pieces, as well as the large chuck of rocket missing. The guns were safe, but everything else was scratched up or pretty much missing. Buying pieces wouldn’t be enough; Jisung was going to have to haggle for whole parts. He groaned.</p><p>        “I’m sure it will go more smoothly than you think,” Taeyong said hopefully, but Jisung could tell it was forced optimism.</p><p>        “Let’s just get on our way,” Jisung sighed. “Maybe if we’re lucky, we didn’t cause any chaos to be remembered by here.”</p><p>        Taeyong nodded, and they were on their way.</p><p>        Of course there were wanted posters of them. <em>Of course </em>there were wanted posters of all five of them posted right there in the open for anyone passing by the streets to see.  Nothing could ever be easy for them, could it?</p><p>        “Luckily there seems to be no one around,” Taeyong pointed out. “This part of the town must be abandoned. There’s only so many places you can go to on a planet in just a short time, so–“</p><p>        “Stop speaking, don’t you <em>dare </em>jinx us again,” Jisung warned, tearing off wanted posters. He took a look at his. It read:</p><p>
  <strong>WANTED: JISUNG LEE<br/>FORMER MEMBER OF UNIT #127: SUPERHUMAN<br/>WANTED FOR: BETRAYAL OF STAR MATTER ENFORCEMENT, SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE ON MULTIPLE PLANETS, VIOLENT ACTS, AND BRIBING</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>REWARD: 600,000,000 CREDITS</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Jisung gulped. <em>That’s a lot of credits.</em></p><p>        “They don’t use our real names, so that’s good,” Taeyong observed. He frowned. “But I am still quite confused about this bit. ‘Betrayal of Star Matter Enforcement’. Why would we betray our enforcement?”</p><p>        “And our unit name is wrong, too,” Jisung noticed. “We’re just <em>Unit 127</em>. What’s all this about <em>Superhuman?” </em>He blinked. “Wait...”</p><p>        Taeyong turned to him curiously. “What?”</p><p>        Jisung shook his head. “Never mind,” he laughed. “Just a thought. Probably nothing. Anyway, we all have similar reasons for being wanted. Even you’re wanted for shooting an executive, and you don’t even have a gun!”</p><p>        “I would never!” Taeyong insisted. Jisung stared at him. “I-I mean unless that executive was threatening and harming you I wouldn’t!” He coughed, face turning pink. “But anyway, this is good to know. We’re criminals, and apparently no longer part of Star Matter Enforcement.”</p><p>        “Then why do we still have our IDs?” Jisung reminded him. “We’re still logged into the database.”</p><p>        “I don’t know,” Taeyong admitted. He sighed. “Jisung, I didn’t want to do this, but we should split up. I know I wanted to accompany you in buying parts, but I want to see something while we’re here. Once we get into an active part of town, I’ll go searching my own way while you work your magic.”</p><p>        “You’re gonna check for wanted posters of the others, aren’t you,” Jisung asked softly. “You’re gonna check for wanted posters of <em>Ten</em>.”</p><p>        Taeyong froze for a moment before smiling sadly. “I have to know he’s alive,” he whispered. His voice was fragile like glass, speaking as if he was just a moment away from shattering. “I have to. He can’t be dead, Jisung, he just <em>can’t.”</em></p><p>“Do you love him?”</p><p>        Taeyong seemed taken aback. Jisung already knew what the answer was, but he wanted to hear it again, from Taeyong this time. He took a deep breath.</p><p>        “No, I don’t,” Taeyong answered honestly. “Not like that, anyway. He’s a great friend, a good companion. But...” He shook his head. “I need him alive for a different reason.”</p><p>        “Selfishness?”</p><p>        “I think you know.” Taeyong smiled. He put his hand on Jisung’s shoulder and smiled softly. “You’ve grown up so much,” he breathed.</p><p>        “Where did <em>that</em> come from?”</p><p>        “Oh, nothing.” Taeyong turned around, but not before wrapping his arm around Jisung’s waist. He pulled the younger boy closer. Jisung, unsure of what to do, put his arm around Taeyong’s waist in return. “Let’s just get going.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>        “They get to do the fun stuff while <em>we </em>have to guard the ship,” Jaemin grumbled.</p><p>        “Quit complaining,” Mark said. “We’re responsible for the ship’s demise, we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”</p><p>        “It will.”</p><p>        “Yeah, because you just can’t help but attack.”</p><p>        “<em>Excuse me? </em>Those <em>Bastarz </em>guys attacked first! I defended us! We would have died if we didn’t attack back!”</p><p>        “Can you guys calm down for <em>five minutes</em> and not say something you’ll only regret later?”</p><p>        Mark and Jaemin could only sigh as they sat back down.</p><p>        “But you know I’m right,” Jaemin murmured. “They attacked us for no reason. They didn’t even ask who we were. Something’s not right. Our unit isn’t exactly unknown amongst the universe.”</p><p>        Mark nodded, leaning his head into the crook of Jaemin’s neck. The younger was so often wild, unkempt, and dangerous, but Mark knew better than anyone else how soft and gentle he could be. How delicate, and fragile.</p><p>        “You don’t really think they’re dead, do you?” Jaemin breathed. His voice hitched, and Mark knew he remembered.</p><p>        “I wouldn’t worry,” Mark assured his brother. “People like them don’t just <em>die</em>. I’m sure they’re safe.”</p><p>        Jaemin nodded and opened his mouth to say something when Jaehyun interrupted.</p><p>        “Is that ship who I think it is?”</p><p>        Mark and Jaemin stood up to see where Jaehyun was pointing, and sure enough, a ship began to slowly descend. Mark noted that the silencers were on, making its descent quieter than average. You only put silencers on if you didn’t want your presence to be known. He gulped.</p><p>        “No way,” Jaemin breathed. Mark turned, confused.</p><p>        “You recognize the ship?” he questioned.</p><p>        “You don’t?” Jaemin walked forward as the ship landed. The gates opened slowly, and Mark realized who it was just before the first person stepped out.</p><p>        “Stray Kids.”</p><p>        Mark recognized Felix wink at him. “Didn’t forget us, did you, mate?”</p><p>        “You’re hard to forget,” he laughed, running to greet him. “How’s District Nine? Is it okay that you left?”</p><p>        “It’s all good,” Seungmin answered. He pet Mark on the back. “How’s Haechan doing?”</p><p>        Mark’s smile faltered. “I, uh–“</p><p>        “We aren’t sure,” Jaehyun answered. He stepped towards their leader – Bangchan – with a small smile. “Good to see you again, man.” They shook hands. “We have a bit of an issue.”</p><p>        Bangchan tilted his head. “Well, we all have more than a bit of an issue right now,” he chuckled. “But go on; we stopped by to check on you after all.”</p><p>        “You knew we’d be here?” Jaemin asked incredulously.</p><p>        “Nah, but we saw you being attacked by <em>Bastarz</em>,” Hyunjin explained. “Figured you could use a bit of help. Though, I thought you guys were heading for Iviir.”</p><p>        “That’s just the thing,” Jaehyun said. “We don’t remember.”</p><p>        “What?”</p><p>        Jaehyun explained everything that happened upon waking up at Iviir. They nodded along, taking in every word.</p><p>        “So you guys don’t remember why you’re on the run,” Bangchan said.</p><p>        “So we <em>are </em>on the run,” Jaemin murmured. Hyunjin nodded.</p><p>        “We all are,” he said. “Well, a lot of us are.”</p><p>        “There was a deal that a ton of enforcements made,” SpearB started. “The <em>big</em> enforcements, too – powerful, and with a lot of control. They wanted to limit the amount of space-traveling people could do for what they claimed to be safety reasons.”<br/>        “Why, did something happen?” Mark asked.</p><p>        “That’s the thing,” Bangchan said. “Nothing’s happened. Nothing prompted this. It isn’t even that some space octopus has been raging, or a war had started; <em>nothing happened to cause this.”</em></p><p>“And that’s not the worst of it,” Han continued. “They wanted to restrict travels, yes, but in doing that, they would have to pay the enforcement nearest instead of the space station they would travel from.”</p><p>        “The restriction would be either two travels a year or pay extra to the enforcements each time you needed to travel,” Felix finished. “You know how much people travel; it’s just the way things are. Not every planet has all the resources, so you need to travel to get them. <em>And </em>it applies to those who live in space stations, which means a simple trip to a restaurant or a family visit would be double, maybe even triple the pay.”</p><p>        Mark paled. He placed his hand on Felix’s shoulder, but even that didn’t stop the sinking feeling that sprung forward. He could hear the others screaming his name as he stumbled towards the ground, but it was far away. His vision went blank and he was gone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“The fuck did you just say?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>        Mark stared in horror at Semin Han. Restrictions? Paying the enforcement? For what?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>        “I’m sorry sir,” Lucas began hesitantly, “but I’m confused. There is nothing going on right now. No war, no invasion, nothing. This is a fairly peaceful time, is it not? Why the restrictions?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>        “Why, are you not satisfied?” Semin smirked. “Your pay will be raised this way. The enforcements can build up credits for resources in case of emergency.”</em>
</p>
<p><em>        “Are we not enough to deal with emergencies?” Ten demanded. “We are the diplomats, but we’re also one of the strongest special units; we’re </em>made <em>to deal with emergencies! We don’t need more resources!”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>        Taemin nodded in agreement. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to restrict travel or to make them pay us more rather than the space station they travel from. Yeah, maybe we’ll get paid more, but what’s the point? We didn’t join the enforcement for money, we joined to help people, and I really don’t believe this is gonna help anyone.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>        “So, it’s settled?” Baekhyun looked at everyone, who nodded at Taemin’s statement. “We do not support this movement. It will not be of any use, and it will only cause disagreements. Do not allow this to go through.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>        Semin chuckled. “Oh, dear Baekhyun, you misunderstand.” His smile grew, matching something of a cartoon villain. “We weren’t giving you a choice.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>        <em>“MINHYUNG!”</em></p>
<p>Mark’s vision returned with a start, his heart beating rapidly. His breaths were short as he tried to stand up, everyone rushing to help him to his feet.</p>
<p>        “What the fuck happened?” Jaemin demanded. His face had gone pale with worry.</p>
<p>        “I...” Mark shook his head. “I remembered...”</p>
<p>        Jaehyun’s eyes widened. “Minhyung, what did you remember?”</p>
<p>        Mark shook his head. “We were called to a meeting,” he recalled. “SuperM. They were discussing that plan you guys were talking about. We...” He placed his hand on his forehead. “We decided it wasn’t a good plan, but-but he didn’t listen. It was already decided.”</p>
<p>        “And then?”</p>
<p>        “And… nothing.” Mark’s arm went around Jaemin’s shoulders. “I came to after that.”</p>
<p>        Bangchan shook his head. “I dunno all the details for you guys,” he said. “But for us, once the announcement came to, a bunch of us at different enforcements decided to rebel against it. Too many of them in JYPE supported this-this <em>horrendous movement</em>, so we were outnumbered – we had no choice but to run.”</p>
<p>        Mark considered this.</p>
<p>        “There’s no way everyone in our enforcement supported this movement,” he decided. “So why would we need to run? Why not stay back and fight?”</p>
<p>        “I’m sure you did, but you of all people should know that SME holds secrets,” Bangchan said. “YGE holds a lot of secrets too, and I heard that <em>Unit: BIGBANG</em> was forced to run with <em>Unit: BLACKPINK</em>, otherwise they would have stayed to fight.”</p>
<p>        “<em>Unit: BIGBANG</em> <em>fled?!” </em>Jaehyun exclaimed. “But they’re, like, the top of the top! The best of the best! I thought they were unbeatable!”</p>
<p>        “We all thought that too,” Han agreed. “But their team split. One of their members decided to side with the Enforcement because of the money raise, and they couldn’t convince him otherwise. Had no choice.”</p>
<p>        Mark sat down, taking everything in.</p>
<p>        “Mark, are you okay?”</p>
<p>        Mark turned to Hyunjin.</p>
<p>        “Someone needs to tell Taeyong.”</p>
<p>       </p>
<p> </p>
<p>        After separating, Taeyong had snatched a newspaper and began wandering around town. Flipping the pages, he indeed found several wanted adverts for him and his brothers, all with the same information as the posters from earlier. Unfortunately, there was nothing about the rest of <em>Unit: #127</em> in the paper. He took a deep breath.</p>
<p>        <em>Stay calm</em>, he told himself. <em>You’re wanted on this planet, and probably several others. Don’t do anything that’ll really blow your cover. Now, if only I could find someone I could trust to ask…</em></p>
<p>        He looked up from the paper to see two people in close proximity walking together. One had their arm around the taller’s shoulder, while the latter had their arm around the former’s waist. Their hair was dark, and they wore thick, dark hoods that nearly hid their faces – nearly. Still, Taeyong could recognize them from the paper. Two wanted outlaws, both seemingly by the name of Kim.</p>
<p>        <em>If I can trust anyone, surely it would be other criminals</em>, Taeyong decided as he approached them.</p>
<p>        “Hey, can I ask you guys something?” he said. He got a closer look at their faces. One had almond-shaped eyes and a small mouth, almost resembling a cat in Taeyong’s eyes. The other, just slightly taller, had rounder eyes, fuller lips, and stronger eyebrows. He could almost look totally innocent if it weren’t for the steely gaze he was giving Taeyong.</p>
<p>        “What do you want?” he asked. Even his voice was soft and gentle. Still, the hint of a threat was evident enough.</p>
<p>        “I was wondering if you could help me out with something,” Taeyong explained. “Nothing too much; just help finding someone.”</p>
<p>        “And why should we help you?” the shorter inquired. His voice was quite gentle, too. Taeyong could hardly believe people such as them could be wanted criminals. “Don’t think we haven’t heard of you, Taeyong Lee, former leader of <em>Unit #127: Superhuman</em>. Why should we not just turn you in and collect the credits?”<br/>        “Because you’re just as much of a criminal as me,” Taeyong countered. “You could try turning me in, but the officials would take you two as well. I don’t think you’d risk being caught just for some money.”</p>
<p>        “You don’t know us.”</p>
<p>        “Well, in that case, feel free to turn me in.” Taeyong offered his wrists. “I have nothing to lose.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong was lying, of course. He had basically everything to lose; his family, his friends, his life… but he tried to keep that hidden from his face. They wanted him panicked, and he wasn’t about to give them what they wanted.</p>
<p>        The two turn to exchange looks. Taeyong didn’t know what was happening, but the shorter rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>        “Follow us,” he instructed.</p>
<p>        Soon enough, they were away from the town, just by a looming tower that barely managed to hide the giant skeleton of some monster Taeyong didn’t recognize. Although in fairness, he knew next to nothing about Jaalmonok. The two took off their hoods, revealing their blue-stained black and grey hair respectively.</p>
<p>        “My name is Doyoung,” the shorter with black hair introduced. He gestured to the grey-haired one. “This is Jungwoo – my partner.”</p>
<p>        Jungwoo gave a little wave and a smile, now seeming oh so innocent.</p>
<p>        “We’ve decided to make it a point to trust you,” Doyoung continued. “Seeing the drama within the universe right now with the Enforcements, if you’re wanted, I think it’s safe to assume you don’t agree with the policies they’re trying to enforce.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong titled his head. “What policies?”</p>
<p>        Jungwoo raised his eyebrows. “You don’t know? That’s surprising since you’re part of the committee that discusses those things, aren’t you? What’s that called...”</p>
<p>        “<em>Special Unit: Super M?</em>” Taeyong laughed. “Yeah, well, a lot has happened. That’s part of why I need your help.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong explained everything that had happened. Jungwoo nodded thoughtfully.</p>
<p>        “Eight days gone just like that?” Doyoung questioned. “That isn’t normal. Unless you were intoxicated that whole time or something.”</p>
<p>        “I don’t drink <em>that </em>much,” he insisted. “Plus, my youngest brother can’t remember anything, and he doesn’t drink.”</p>
<p>        Doyoung nodded. “Well, it can’t be helped then.” He gave Taeyong a rundown of the policies the enforcement was trying to place, and how it had started a bit of a war.</p>
<p>        “We’re used to traveling around to avoid being caught by authorities, so that'll really put a stop to that,” Jungwoo explained. “Of course, we have a ship, but that still brings attention to us.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong almost couldn’t believe it, but somehow, it wasn’t completely surprising. He knew the enforcements were corrupt – it was only a matter of time.</p>
<p>        Still… SME had raised him and his brothers when they had nowhere to go. They took care of them, trained them, made them into the people they are now. It saddened Taeyong to see just how corrupt the Enforcement that had rescued him from the <em>Children’s System</em> became.</p>
<p>        “So, was that what you needed?” Doyoung asked. Taeyong shook his head.</p>
<p>        “I’m looking for my friends,” he told them. “I know they’d stay and fight, regardless of what the Unit decided, and I just need to know they’re safe.”</p>
<p>        “Anyone in particular?”</p>
<p>        Taeyong shifted his feet before pulling out a phone. He tapped the screen a few times and out projected a photo album. He selected a picture of himself and a man with fluffy red hair and a bright smile.</p>
<p>        “Ten Lee,” he said. “I need to know that he’s safe, but I haven’t found any wanted posters of him, which makes me fear something’s wrong.”</p>
<p>        Doyoung took one look at Ten and nodded. “Yeah, I know the guy,” he said. “Chittaphon, right? Met him a couple of days ago.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong blinked, mouth agape. “How do you know his real name?”</p>
<p>        “He told me?” Doyoung laughed. Jungwoo gently placed his hand under Taeyong’s chin and closed it. Taeyong turned to Jungwoo curiously.</p>
<p>        “Don’t look so surprised, darling,” he teased. “We meet a lot of people.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong’s cheeks began to warm up. “Uh, um, I’m sorry, uh-”</p>
<p>        He was cut off by Doyoung’s laugh. “You were right ‘woo, he <em>is </em>pretty cute.” He gave Taeyong, whose entire face was now flushed red, a little wink. “But that aside, we met Ten on Hæl. With the enforcements fighting, I guess he figured no one would keep the monsters at bay. We left when the Akou showed up, but Ten seemed pretty cocky about being able to defeat it and save everyone.”</p>
<p>        Taeyong chuckled. “That sounds like him.”</p>
<p>        “Being cocky?”</p>
<p>        “No, no.” Taeyong paused. “Well, actually <em>yes</em>, but I meant about helping people. That’s always been his thing, ever since we were kids.”</p>
<p>        Jungwoo looked surprised. “You knew him for that long?”<br/>        “Yeah,” Taeyong laughed. “I used to hate his guts as a kid – I thought he was annoying, y’know? What right did he have to be so cocky all the time? He wasn’t <em>that </em>special, I thought. I pegged him off to be self-centered and only in it for the glory.”</p>
<p>        Doyoung glanced at Jungwoo, then back to Taeyong. “So, what changed it?”</p>
<p>        “He saved my life; <em>our </em>lives. Me as well as my brothers.” He stared at the picture of Ten, smile fading. “We were being attacked when they collapsed the building. Fires were everywhere. Jaehyun and Mark were out cold. Jaemin and Jisung, oh they were <em>sobbing</em>, but I couldn’t do anything. We were trapped, there were smoke and debris everywhere… I was sure we were going to die.”</p>
<p>        “And Ten saved you?”</p>
<p>        Taeyong nodded. His smile had returned. “Blasted through the damage until he reached us and dragged our asses out of there. He held Jisung, Jaemin,<em> and</em> Mark the whole way through, while I carried Jaehyun. Even without a weapon, or either of his arms, Ten managed to beat everyone who came towards us, all the way to the safe zone. He inhaled so much smoke he had to be in the infirmary for weeks. After that, we became great friends. My closest, dearest friend, and the only person I unquestionably trust.”</p>
<p>        There was silence hanging above them for a few moments before Jungwoo disturbed the quiet.</p>
<p>        “He’s alive for sure,” Jungwoo breathed. “If the person we met is anything like the person he truly is, then he’s not going to die to some monsters.” He turned to Taeyong. “But you have to leave, and soon. I’m guessing you don’t remember, but you guys sort of caused a ruckus here. Made some pretty big mistakes. Awakened it.”</p>
<p>        “Awakened what exactly?” Taeyong asked slowly. He felt a ball drop into his stomach.<br/>        “One of the god statues,” Jungwoo said. “Its been roaming for a couple of days, and there have been several disappearances. Its never stayed out this long before, so try not to get yourself alone with it. You’re lucky you’re with us since it doesn’t attack more than two people.”</p>
<p>        There was a loud creak, followed by a howling cry. Everything went dead silent – even the creatures passing by had stopped. They knew it could only be one thing. Taeyong cursed himself.</p>
<p>        <em>Jisung!</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had to be around 120 meters, Jisung thought in awe. Standing there, howling in pain and frustration, Jisung knew it sensed him. It was looking for him. And yet Jisung couldn’t help but to be amazed by its wonder. Made completely of stone, and yet it moved just as well as him or any human. Its face was so high up that Jisung couldn’t get a good look. It was beautiful. And it was trying to kill him.</p>
<p>        Oh, how had Jisung gotten into this mess? He was just out buying parts, haggling anything and everything he could until all the parts were in his possession, and since he didn’t know where Taeyong was, he figured he’d go on a little walk away from town before heading back home. And <em>of course</em>, the huge god statue of murder decided to unveil himself right in front of Jisung. That was his luck, after all. He could almost laugh at how unlucky he was; dare he say, it was <em>elating.</em></p>
<p>        The fear jolted back inside of the tall boy when its face turned to look down at Jisung. How could it see him from all the way up there? Jisung was afraid to know. It howled once more, and Jisung was sure he would lose his hearing once this was over. Surely his brothers could hear this. Jisung prayed to Talmok that they wouldn’t try to save him.</p>
<p>        He started moving slowly, hoping that the statue couldn’t see that well. He took cover under desert trees and broken structures. He was sure that they were broken by the statue, but he didn’t have time to think about that. With all the equipment he was carrying, he had no choice but to move slowly and carefully.</p>
<p>        <em>With how tall that thing is, I’m sure it moves slowly as well</em>, Jisung reasoned. <em>Big footsteps maybe, but at what cause?</em></p>
<p>        It hadn’t moved at all since it started staring at Jisung, and he made the mistake of thinking <em>just maybe </em>he could make it out without being spotted.</p>
<p>        He was dead wrong.</p>
<p>        It stepped towards him, and Jisung knew he had no choice but to run. And so he did. He pulled everything close to him and took off, just narrowly escaping the footstep that sent a gust of wind into Jisung’s back.</p>
<p>        He fell to the ground with a <strong><em>THUMP</em></strong>, but quickly gained composure and started running, this time even faster. Another step, this time a little too close for comfort, which sent Jisung flying up. Jisung stifled a shriek and rolled back onto the ground, running.</p>
<p>        His lungs heaved, growing more painful the faster he ran. His legs ached, his heart pounded, and every step the statue made was enough to send Jisung flying, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t allow himself to be caught. He had to keep running, keep going until he outran this <em>thing</em>. He <em>had </em>to. It was the only thing he could do, the only thing that could keep him alive.</p>
<p>        But nearly ten minutes had passed at the statue wasn’t tiring.</p>
<p>        That thought almost stopped him in his tracks. <em>The statue wasn’t tiring</em>.</p>
<p>        <em>Then why am I running? </em>He wondered. <em>I can’t outrun this thing forever. Eventually, I’ll get too tired to keep going, and he’ll squash me like I’m a gnat. There </em>has <em>to be another way</em>.</p>
<p>        Then he spotted it. A large structure looming in the distance. It was so far Jisung almost couldn’t tell, but after straining his eyes, he could finally see the familiar shape of two identical statues. Identical to the statue chasing Jisung exactly.</p>
<p>        <em>Oh my Talmok, yes! </em>he cheered. <em>If I can just get there, maybe it’ll go back to normal, and I can get the fuck out of here!</em></p>
<p>        He turned behind him to see the statue still following, and now he could clearly see its face. It didn’t have eyes.</p>
<p>        Jisung gulped.</p>
<p>        “OI STONE FACE!” he screamed.</p>
<p>        The statue stopped, looking confused. Jisung used this opportunity to catch his breath.</p>
<p>        “YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN CATCH ME?” he taunted. “THEN FUCKING <em>TRY, </em>BASTARD!”</p>
<p>        The statue growled, and Jisung took off running again before the statue could decide whether to squish him or mock him. This time, Jisung ran as fast as he could, pushing every bit of strength into every step that hit the now rocky ground. He thought his lungs would explode before he could make it, but he knew he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t afford to stop now; Jisung would either make it or die, and he wasn’t ready to die just yet.</p>
<p>        His feet stumbled over each other and he fell but forced himself up onto his feet to keep running. But his vision was starting to fade. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and the side of his stomach felt like he was being stitched up. He gripped onto it and pushed himself to go further. Just a few more yards, a few more feet, and it’d be over. It’s impossible, Jisung thought, I’m not gonna make it, I’m gonna die out here, oh <em>Talmok </em>my brothers won’t even find my body–</p>
<p>        <em>Wait.</em></p>
<p>        The statue had halted about three yards away from Jisung. Its face seemed to have changed, appearing less angry and more serene, almost as if it were in a daze. It stared at the empty spot by the other statues.</p>
<p>        <em>Oh my Talmok, I made it</em>, Jisung realized before collapsing onto the ground, his breathing heavy and ragged. He felt dizzy and cold. His head and body ached, unable to register anything that the statue was doing anymore. <em>He made it</em>. The parts were scattered around him, a little bit damaged but it wasn’t anything beyond repair. Jisung couldn’t care less, letting gravity keep him down on the ground, vision going black.</p>
<p>        <em>I made it</em>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Eridamus is next on the list, right?”</p>
<p>        Jisung’s eyes twitched. <em>Taeyong?</em></p>
<p>        “Yeah, that’s right.” Jaehyun. “Don’t worry, it’s pretty different from this place if what Mark says is any indication.”</p>
<p>        “Mark would be right.” Jisung swore he recognized the voice. <em>Bangchan? </em>“It’s a beautiful planet; the forests are lush and full of life, and some of the plants grow. It’s a bit dangerous, yes, but the sights are worth it. And the natives there are incredibly welcoming after <em>Unit: H.O.T </em>helped to save and preserve their culture during the colonization raid that happened like half a century ago.”</p>
<p>        “Oh, so they’re not really industrialized?”</p>
<p>        “Not by our standards, but they get by just the same. I heard they use the magic of the forest spirits to help them with anything they need.”</p>
<p>        “Ugh, that sort of stuff requires sacrifices though, right?”<br/>        “I think it’s some blood from a purebred creature, but that’s about it. Not enough to kill the creature. Hot tip, though: try not to insult their culture or ways there; they may not hear you, but the forest spirits will, and they don’t take kindly to insults like that.”</p>
<p>        “I thought you said it was a <em>welcoming </em>planet.”</p>
<p>        “I said the <em>natives </em>were welcoming, but they only have so much power.”</p>
<p>        Jisung opened his eyes to see everyone crowded together around a table showing a hologram of a planet that he assumed to be Eridamus. It wasn’t a large planet, he knew, but it was still one that was to be preserved and protected. Jisung was aware that this was done by SME for the most part.</p>
<p>        He pushed himself up to get a better look at everyone and immediately gave himself a mental high five for recognizing Bangchan’s voice. It was <em>Unit: Stray Kids</em>, and by the looks of it, he was in their ship, the <em>Chronosaurus</em>. Jisung assumed they went to look for him after hearing the statue, which he found really sweet. He, Seungmin, and Han got pretty close after a mission they went on together a year or so back.</p>
<p>        <em>Operation: Hellevator, </em>Jisung remembered fondly. It was one of the most dangerous missions he went on, but also the most fun. His first time in <em>District 9 </em>and it almost got him killed, but he had never felt more exhilarated.</p>
<p>        “Oh, he’s awake!”</p>
<p>        Han had turned around and saw Jisung watching them. Jaehyun and Taeyong immediately whipped their heads towards him, the latter engulfing him in a humongous hug.</p>
<p>        “Jisung Park, I’m <em>so </em>sorry I left you alone,” he whispered fiercely into Jisung’s ear. “I’m so, so, <em>so sorry. </em>I shouldn’t have left you behind, I should have stayed with you, I should have just had faith in my friends, been there to protect you, oh <em>Talmok</em> I’m so <em>sorry!” </em>Jisung could hear the tears being held back, which made him choke up himself. “I love you so much, Jisung, my baby brother, <em>I’m so sorry</em>…”</p>
<p>        The tears spilled down Jisung’s cheek as he wrapped his arms around the eldest. “Don’t,” he breathed. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have done anything. It’s okay. I’m okay. <em>You did nothing wrong</em>.”</p>
<p>        He could feel Taeyong shaking, burying his face in Jisung’s shoulder. It was such an intimate moment, Jisung almost felt embarrassed at all of <em>Unit: Stray Kids </em>watching them.</p>
<p>        Almost.</p>
<p>        Once Taeyong had settled down and moved away, Jaemin took his place. He grabbed Jisung’s face and held it, observing him with a firm stare. He used his thumb to wipe away Jisung’s tears, his eyes now softening.</p>
<p>        “Leave the stupid shit to me next time,” he spat almost harshly, but then immediately pulled him into a hug. “You could have been killed.”</p>
<p>        “But I wasn’t,” Jisung laughed weakly. “That sort of luck runs in the family, I guess.”</p>
<p>        Jaemin chuckled. “I guess so.”</p>
<p>        There was a cough, and everyone turned around to see Han shifting awkwardly. “Mind if we, uh, get Jisung up to speed a bit while you fix your ship?”</p>
<p>        “Oh, we’re back already!” Jaemin immediately stood up. “These guys’ll fill you in on everything – FYI, you missed a lot!”</p>
<p>        The rest of the brothers, as well as most of the <em>Unit: Stray Kids </em>members, left, leaving only Han and Seungmin behind.</p>
<p>        “C’mon, Jisung, you shoulda seen this coming,” Seungmin joked, throwing an arm around Jisung who merely laughed and nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>        “Really can’t separate this team,” he said fondly. “Remember <em>Operation: Hellevator? </em>We could make our own special unit with how well we worked together!”</p>
<p>        “Change your name to Jisung, and it’ll be the Trio of Jisungs,” Han joked, earning a laugh from the other two.</p>
<p>        “So, what exactly happened?” Jisung asked once they were all settled down. Han and Seungmin took turns explaining the situation to him, pausing to answer any questions Jisung had. Once finished, Jisung allowed his brain to ruminate on the information he was given.</p>
<p>        “So, we’re wanted criminals for betraying our Enforcement, but there may be more to the story because, you not being part of SME, were not there to witness our every move.”</p>
<p>        “Exactly,” Han nodded. “For example, before everything went down, your unit was renamed <em>Unit #127: Superhuman</em>, but we don’t know why.”</p>
<p>        “Fortunately, we know the location of the people who might.” Seungmin gestured to the holographic image of Eridamus. “Some of the members of your <em>Special Unit: SuperM </em>should be on Eridamus; I’m assuming Baekhyun, Kai, and Taemin.”</p>
<p>        “Taeyong heard from some outlaws that Ten is on Hæl, so after you meet with the other <em>SuperM </em>members, you’ll be heading there,” Han finished. “Since your ship apparently had coordinates there, you guys probably dropped Ten off on your way. If that’s the case, the rest of <em>Unit 127: Superhuman </em>may be there as well.”</p>
<p>        “By the way, we’re just popping in and out of planets to check on everyone, so we’ll be seeing you to Eridamus,” Seungmin added. “We’ve been dealing with the space fights with some of the others. <em>Unit: Seventeen </em>and <em>Special Unit: Odd Eye Circle </em>have been really helpful in keeping the fights in the sky, which is where we wanna keep the fighting; no need to get the locals involved, y’know?” He winked.</p>
<p>        “Yeah, I get that.” Jisung nodded. “And seriously, thank you guys <em>so </em>much for your help. You have no idea how much we appreciate it, seriously.”</p>
<p>        “Aw, it’s no problem at all!” Han pulled Jisung and Seungmin into a tight hug where they remained for what felt like a long time. Jisung breathed gently, letting his head rest against Han’s chest. They were both shorter than him but being the youngest child in a family of people shorter than him, he learned how to find the most comfortable hugging positions. They held each other in comfortable silence before–</p>
<p>“Jisung, let’s’ go!” Jaemin popped back into the <em>Chronosaurus</em>. “Ship’s all fixed up!”</p>
<p>        “Already?” Han whined. “I wanted to hang out with you guys more!”</p>
<p>        Hyunjin, who had joined Jaemin, stroked Han’s hair while snickering. “Once this whole thing is over, we’ll all hang out together, so don’t you worry. Jaemin and I have <em>way </em>too much to catch up on.”</p>
<p>        Jaemin nodded in agreement. “Like how you got that scar on your eye, for example.”</p>
<p>        “Ah, that was all me,” Han boasted, gently poking the scar going down Hyunjin’s right eye. “Talked too much shit, so I went <strong><em>BWAM</em></strong>! Yes, sir, I did!”</p>
<p>        “Please, you don’t even use knives,” Hyunjin chided. “Nah, this happened after a fight with, ah, a higher up.”</p>
<p>        “Can you still see?” Jisung inquired, gently touching the wound.</p>
<p>        “Not well. It’s still kinda fuzzy, and white. Hopefully, I don’t go completely blind in one eye, but who knows.”</p>
<p>        Seungmin cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t they, uh, get going now?”</p>
<p>        Jisung sighed and launched himself up. “I <em>guess</em>,” he muttered. As he walked off with Jaemin, he turned back to see the three other boys engaged in conversation. Han said something that made the two laugh, Hyunjin throwing his head back with the brightest smile on his face. Han noticed Jisung staring and threw him a wink. With a smile, Jisung turned around and exited the<em> Chronosaurus.</em> </p>
<p>       </p>
<p>        “I’m glad to see they’re getting along,” Jaemin commented.</p>
<p>        “Hyunjin and Han, right?” Jisung nodded in agreement. “I remember when they could hardly even talk to each other without arguing. Now they can’t seem to get enough of each other.” He chuckled. “It’s cute, really.”</p>
<p>        “Do you think they...” Jaemin turned to smirk knowingly at Jisung, who only laughed in return.<br/>        “Poor Seungmin if that’s the case.”</p>
<p>        Jaemin nodded in agreement and walked Jisung to the newly fixed ship, bidding the other <em>Stray Kids </em>members farewell in the process. Up next was Eridamus, and although Jisung wasn’t very close with the <em>SuperM </em>members that weren’t in his unit, he was feeling excited to see them and hopefully get more answers.</p>
<p>        Jaehyun glanced in the direction of the younger boys as they entered the ship. “Oh good, you’re both here,” he commented. “Then we can leave now. You boys said your goodbyes already?”</p>
<p>        “Yes sir,” Jisung said. “They said they wanna meet up after this and catch up.”</p>
<p>        Jaehyun nodded. “Bangchan mentioned that too. We’ll have to book a restaurant or something. Anyway, we’re getting ready for takeoff, so take a seat.”</p>
<p>        Jisung and Jaemin sat down and buckled up, the latter snuggling up next to the taller brother with a smug smile. Taeyong joined Jaehyun and the controls while Mark stayed near the end with a book on Eridamus in-hand.</p>
<p>        “Alright, preparing for takeoff,” Jaehyun announced. “To Eridamus we go.”</p>
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